


what friends are for

by magentam



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:32:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16372820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magentam/pseuds/magentam
Summary: a few fragmented star fox drabbles i've written and abandoned. fox/falco.





	1. Chapter 1

As soon as he's in the door, Fox drops his coat and his bag immediately upon seeing the state that his friend's in. He then rushes forward to envelop him in a hug.   
  
"Thank goodness you're okay," he says with a sigh.   
  
Falco chokes out a laugh, weakly reaching up to pat his back. "I'm fine, Foxie, don't worry."   
  
"Don't you 'don't worry' me, jackass," Fox grumbles, pulling away to sit on the side of the hospital bed. All he sees on Falco are bandages, cuts and bruises. "If you weren't looking the way you are, I'd give you a nice punch in the arm."   
  
Falco sits up and gestures to his left arm. "Here," he says, grinning weakly, "I'll get my good one for you."   
  
Fox just rolls his eyes, ignoring the offer. he gets off the bed and sits instead in a chair to the side, pulling his bag toward him. "Seriously, though," he says pointedly to Falco, "you gotta stop flying with gangs. You're gonna end up dead one day."   
  
The bird laughs hoarsely, reclining back. "Everyone dies some day, don't they?" he asks, hiding a hint of self deprecation and a death wish beneath his tone.   
  
Fox looks over at him incredulously. "Yeah, but not this young, not this early in their lives!" He puts his hands down on the bed, making a deliberate impact. "Falco, do you want to end up like my father? Killed on a mission, dead somewhere in space, without a body to recover for a proper burial? Not even middle aged? With no chance to say goodbye to his loved ones? Is that what you want?" Fox demands, rambling. His hands are shaking, but his eyes are dry. A beat of silence passes, and Fox sighs. "Falco," he starts, voice alarmingly soft, "I already lost my father, the one family member I had left in this world. I... can't lose my best friend, too."   
  
Falco slowly looks up at him, a small smile on his face. "I thought Slippy was your best friend," he says, half joking and half not.   
  
Fox shrugs, looking away. "Slippy's great and all, but... he's not you," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's not the one who would kick my ass out of bed when all I wanted to do was wallow in self pity."   
  
Falco chuckles. "Hey, what are friends for, right?"   
  
Fox turns around again and looks at him, smiling tiredly. "Right."


	2. Chapter 2

~~~~

“I want to ask you something," Fox says one day while he's visiting.   
  
"Yeah?" Falco asks almost absentmindedly, too occupied with trying to untangle his IV tube from around his body. "What is it?"   
  
Fox both sighs and laughs at his friend's predicament, getting up to help him.   
  
"Well, I'm graduating from the academy this year, right," Fox says, taking the IV tube and starting to untangle it from Falco's arm.   
  
"Right," Falco replies, moving his arm out of the coiled tube.   
  
Fox unravels the tube from around Falco's body, being careful on the last turn as he doesn't want to accidentally pull the needle out of the vein. "And most people usually go into the Air Force after graduating," he says, setting the tube down near Falco's other arm.   
  
Falco chuckles, almost bitter. "Most people meaning not me," he adds.   
  
"Yeah," Fox affirms, frowning slightly. "I decided I'm not happy with them for doing that to you."   
  
Falco rolls his eyes. "Fox, don't refuse to join the Air Force just because they wouldn't accept me," he tells him.   
  
Fox scoffs cordially. "That was more of a joke than anything," he says, shifting in his place on the side of the bed. "I'm not gonna join the Air Force, but it's for another reason."   
  
"Really?" Falco asks, sitting up. "What's that?"   
  
Fox stays silent for a few moments, looking down at his lap. Then, he turns to his friend and says, quite seriously, “I want to revive Star Fox. That's why I'm not going into the Air Force. I'm gonna take my dad's place as leader, Slippy's gonna be my mechanic, Peppy's gonna be our resident veteran, and… I want you to be my ace, Falco."   
  
"Your ace, huh..." Falco says slowly, pondering for a moment.   
  
"Falco," Fox says, still serious, "you're one of the best pilots I've ever met. Maybe even better than me," he adds, a bit more lighthearted.   
  
Falco grins, chuckling. "What do you mean, 'maybe'?"   
  
Fox continues, getting serious again. "I don't want your talent to go to waste. I don't want to see you hopping from gang to gang, ending up injured each time. I don't want to see you die wasting your life. And I want to be able to keep an eye on you, too."   
  
Falco stays quiet for a while, digesting everything Fox said. He looks at his friend's eyes, seeing how determined they are. Finally he sighs softly.   
  
"You've really thought a lot about this, huh?" Falco asks, looking away.   
  
Fox also sighs. "Yeah, I have."   
  
A silence washes over them for a while. Falco keeps his gaze away from his friend; Fox looks down at his hands.   
  
“You... you really worry that much about me, Foxie?" Falco asks quietly, slowly turning back.   
  
"Of course," Fox says, nudging him comfortingly. "You're my best friend."   
  
At that, Falco laughs quietly. "Alright, fine," he says, looking at Fox, "I'll join your stupid team."   
  
Fox smiles. "Hey, watch it. That's my father's legacy you're talkin' about," he says in mock offense.   
  
"Yeah, yeah," Falco dismisses him, smiling back.


	3. Chapter 3

He finds Fox alone in the hangar. He's sitting on the wing of his Arwing, looking out into the emptiness of space. Falco almost doesn't want to disturb him; he looks so serene and pensive. But he's also worried about his friend.   
  
He walks further into the hangar, clearing his throat audibly to get his friend's attention. Fox's ears perk up, and he looks around until he sees him.   
  
"Oh," Fox says, relaxing again, "hey."   
  
"Hey," Falco greets back, nodding his head at him.   
  
Fox sets his gaze outside again, staying quiet. Falco, not knowing what to say, remains silent again from his stance on the ground. He just stares up at him.   
  
However, seeing that Fox doesn't seem to be breaking the silence any time soon, Falco just decides to be direct.   
  
"You've seemed distant since we got back from Venom," he says, matter-of-factly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."   
  
"Huh?" Fox makes a little noise in surprise. "I'm fine, Falco," he assures him, but only halfheartedly. Falco sees right through it.   
  
"I can tell you're not," he says, frowning. Walking closer, he leans on the side of the arwing. "Come on, Fox," he says, more discreetly, "did something happen when you took on andross alone?"   
  
Fox crosses his arms. "Yeah," he says, voice dripping with sarcasm, "I got revenge on the mad scientist who killed both of my parents. Wouldn't that make you quiet for a while too?"   
  
Falco sighs. "I guess," he concedes, backing off. He's not satisfied with the answer, but he doesn't want to push Fox too much.   
  
The quietness that follows is more tense than the last. Falco stays quiet, again not knowing what to say. Fox keeps his arms crossed, not looking at him. the snappy remark hangs over both of them, making it seem that much more quiet.   
  
After a while, though, Fox sighs softly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he says, sadly.   
  
Falco, surprised, looks up at him. "That's not true," he says defensively. "I'll believe anything you tell me, Foxie, I swear."   
  
Fox doesn't meet his gaze. he just leans forward on his hands, gripping the side of the wing he's sitting on. Falco's patient, waiting quietly for him to speak up.   
  
"Falco, I...," he begins, trailing off. Falco just leans forward, listening intently. Fox frowns and starts again. “I saw my father."   
  
Falco's eyes widen. "Your father?" he echoes.   
  
"Yeah," Fox says, nodding. "He... he saved my life. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."   
  
Falco looks at him incredulously. "Fox, your father's --"   
  
"Dead," Fox finishes. “I know. I can't explain it." He looks down, not making eye contact.   
  
Falco shakes his head. "What - what do you mean he saved your life?"   
  
Fox sighs. "Andross wanted to take me down with him. Suddenly everything went white and I screamed. I thought I was dead. And then i heard his voice..."   
  
"Your father's," Falco clarifies.   
  
"Yeah," Fox nods. "He told me never to give up... Something he used to always tell me." He sighs, shaking his head. "I know it sounds fake, like something out of a movie, but it really happened, Falco, I couldn't make this up if I tried."   
  
Falco looks at him sagely. he feels bad that Fox thinks he doesn't believe him. But believing something like this...   
  
He sighs and climbs up the Arwing to sit next to Fox, putting an arm around his hunched shoulders.   
  
"I know, Fox," he says, trying to comfort him. "Just tell me the rest of what happened."   
  
Fox moves comfortably under his arm, fidgeting a little. "The whiteness cleared, and I saw another arwing in front of me... My father's. He told me to follow him, and he led me out before the whole place could blow. I don't know if I could've made it out in time on my own."


	4. Chapter 4

Fox knocks on his friend's door, waiting for it to slide open. When it does, he wastes no time in walking into the room.   
  
"Hey," he says, but he stops short.   
  
Falco, standing by the window with his hands in his pockets, turns his head to acknowledge him. "Hey," he parrots back.   
  
Fox laughs a little. "What are you doing, staring into space?" he asks, resuming his stride towards him.   
  
"Yeah," Falco says with a sarcastic little smirk. "I missed the view from this window."   
  
Fox stops next to Falco, looking at their reflection in the glass. “Oh, of course," he drawls, laughing at his friend.   
  
Falco rolls his eyes. "Could do without the sarcasm, Fox," he says, elbowing him.   
  
Fox laughs, shoving him. "I'm kidding. You know that."   
  
"Yeah, yeah," Falco says, pushing him again.   
  
Another laugh, and Fox smiles softly. “I missed this, y'know," he almost whispers, his voice so quiet. "Slippy and Peppy aren't as fun to mess around with."   
  
"Aw," Falco coos smugly, hooking his arm around Fox's shoulders, dragging him close. "You missed me, huh, Foxie?"   
  
Fox struggles against Falco's arm holding him. "Well," he says with effort, "Anyone would miss you if they were stuck with Slippy and Peppy. I can't believe you did that to me."   
  
Falco releases his strong grip, allowing Fox to move. Fox stands upright again, next to Falco, closer this time. Falco lets his arm fall on his shoulders again.   
  
"Man, you're never gonna let me live that down, huh?" Falco asks, shaking his head in mock exasperation.   
  
Fox looks up at him, raising his eyebrows. "You try living with them for even just a week and see how that goes. I'm sure you'll have a great time."   
  
Falco grins, laughing. "Alright, I guess you have a point," he concedes.   
  
"Anyway," Fox says, looking away, "Thanks for... before. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up."   
  
Falco smirks a little smirk. "No problem," he says, voice softer than before. "That's what friends are for, and all that."   
  
"Yeah," Fox agrees.   
  
A silence lingers for a while, both of them just staring out into the depths of space. Fox sticks his hands into his pockets, leaning slightly against his friend, finding comfort in the close contact. Falco's thumb rubs circles into Fox's shoulder. It's quiet - a comfortable quiet.   
  
They both speak up to break the silence at the same time.   
  
"Do you -"   
  
"That girl -"   
  
Fox stops short. "What?" he asks, looking up at the bird.   
  
"No, you first," Falco says, showing a rare case of modesty.   
  
"No," Fox shakes his head, "you first."   
  
Falco smiles a little, chuckling. “I was just sayin’ that that girl seems really into you."   
  
"Who, Krystal?" Fox asks, tilting his head.   
  
"Yeah," Falco affirms. "What, not really your type?"   
  
Fox shrugs, looking away. "She's nice and all, but..." he sighs. “I dunno. I don't know her yet. I'm sure we could be friends, but I've barely even had a conversation with her yet."   
  
Falco laughs. "You're so... you, Fox."   
  
Fox bumps into him with a frown. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, petulantly.   
  
"I mean," Falco starts, "you have a girl fawning over you at your feet and all you're thinking about is whether you'll actually like her or not."   
  
Fox pouts. "I'm sorry I actually want to like the people I'm romantically involved with."   
  
Falco just laughs and pats Fox's shoulder. "You're so cute, Foxie."   
  
Fox scowls, moving away. "Shut up already."   
  
Falco retrieves his arm and slips his hand into his pocket, looking over at Fox with a grin. "Alright, alright," he says, "What did you want to ask me?"   
  
Fox's ears perk up at the question. "Oh," he says, still looking away, "nothing."   
  
"Come on," Falco says, walking toward his bed and sitting down, "It was something."   
  
Fox doesn't turn around. "It doesn't matter anymore," he says, surprisingly flat.   
  
"Yes it does," Falco argues. He watches as Fox turns slowly around and gestures for him to sit. "Come on, Fox, what is it?"   
  
Fox begrudgingly walks over and sits down next to him. He sighs and asks, "Do you remember what you asked me before you left?"   
  
Falco furrows his brows at the question. "What I - no?"   
  
"When we... hugged and... you, um... you asked me if you could..." Fox trails, stuttering.   
  
Falco suddenly turns very red as his heartbeat picks up. "Y-yeah," he stammers.   
  
Fox, shaking a little, leans onto Falco again. "Well," he sighs, "it's still okay."   
  
Falco looks down at Fox, hypersensitive to his touch. “I -" he stutters dumbly. Finally he takes a deep breath and asks, quietly, "Are you sure?"   
  
Fox doesn't make eye contact and just nods his head against Falco's shoulder.   
  
Taking that as a yes, Falco takes another breath in and leans down. He kisses the side of Fox's face, gently, hesitantly. And then, embarrassed, he quickly pulls away.   
  
Fox is quiet, leaning still against him. Falco puts his arm around his shoulders again. And they stay like that for a long while.


End file.
